Aftermath
by catgurl83
Summary: Roman's children deal with his death. AU


Disclaimer: Not mine and seriously, I don't want them.  
  
Author: Catgurl83  
  
Title: Aftermath  
  
Feedback: Much appreciated.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Pairings: Carrie \ Mike, Lucas \ Sami, Marlena \ John, Bo \ Hope, Belle \ Shawn, Rex \ Mimi. I don't think that I forgot anyone but if I did just let me know.  
  
Author's notes: I swore that I wasn't going to do any fan fiction dealing with the Serial Killer storyline but the handling of Roman's death and funeral on the show forced me to write this. It is therapeutic for me. :-)  
  
This is definitely AU.  
  
If you are a newer viewer, or simply need refreshing on a character or old storyline referred to in this story, e-mail me and I'll either answer your question or direct you to an answer.  
  
************  
  
The trilling ring of the telephone shattered the silence of the night. It rang over and over again until a hand reached out from beneath the covers, fumbling around on the nightstand, trying to find the phone.  
  
"Hello?" he said groggily.  
  
"Mike."  
  
Mike Horton sat up straight in bed and switched the lamp on his nightstand on. He had been hoping for an emergency at the clinic. Something that wasn't personal. They'd gotten enough personal bad news lately. "Marlena."  
  
Carrie, who had been watching her husband from the pillow where her head rested with an expression of mixed concern and curiosity, sat up at the name. She continued to watch her husband, noting his expression. Whatever Marlena was saying wasn't good.  
  
Mike finished the call and dropped the phone back into its cradle wearily. He turned so that he was facing his wife.  
  
"There was another victim?" Carrie whispered though she already knew the answer.  
  
"Yeah," Mike answered hoarsely.  
  
"Who?" Her trepidation was building. She could tell by Mike's expression that he didn't want to tell her. That really scared her. Her grandmother had been murdered as had his aunt and brother-in-law. He hadn't been this hesitant to tell her about any of them.  
  
"Honey." Mike scooted closer to his wife. "It's your dad."  
  
Carrie's eyes widened even more. "Daddy? No." She shook her head vigorously. "Daddy isn't even in Salem now, he and Kate were leaving right after the reception."  
  
Mike cupped her chin gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. "They never left the reception."  
  
"He."  
  
Mike nodded, wiping a tear from Carrie's cheek with his thumb.  
  
Tears continued to fall from Carrie's eyes as her head dropped to Mike's shoulder. Her Daddy was dead. Ripped away by a cold blooded killer. She had been told that he was dead before but it had never been this final. They hadn't had a body and he had always come back eventually. This time, they had a body. It was final.  
  
After almost an hour, Carrie lifted her head. "Is. is everyone else alright?"  
  
"Marlena said that no one else was hurt."  
  
"Good," she whispered. With so many people whom she loved at the wedding, it could have been so much worse. "The funeral?"  
  
"Someone will call us with the details," he assured her.  
  
Crying pierced the air before either of them could say anything more.  
  
Mike pushed the blankets back and stood. "I'll get her."  
  
Carrie watched her husband walk from the room before letting her eyes fall shut. Six years, they had been away from Salem for six years. When they left, she couldn't imagine that she'd end up going back for something like this. She had thought that they'd end up going home for a wedding or for a big birthday celebration for Alice.  
  
Mike reentered the room, their two-month-old daughter nestled in his arms. He carefully sat down on the bed without jostling the quiet baby.  
  
Carrie reach out and carefully accepted the infant into her own arms. The baby's sweet scent and soft skin caused a smile to come to her face. As she settled her daughter to eat, she gently stroked the baby's soft cheek.  
  
As she gazed down at her daughter, she realized that no matter what happened, there was always a future. There was always a way to move on.  
  
*************  
  
The brisk air chaffed at his skin. It whipped through his hair but he didn't care. The cold air started to burn his throat but still he ran. He ran until his mind was clear. Until his pain had faded.  
  
Finally, he sank down onto a damp bench that had snow all around it. The moisture seeped through his pants but he didn't notice and if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared.  
  
It was still early, so early that no one else was out. That suited him perfectly.  
  
His phone has awoken him at four o'clock. When the phone rang that early, you knew that it wasn't anything good. No called at four in the morning with good news. They'd wait and call later in the day. With all that was currently going on in Salem, he knew that it was likely someone from Salem calling. He picked up the phone with a sense of dread. His mother's voice cemented that feeling inside him.  
  
His father was dead. He'd never see his father again, never talk to him on the phone. Roman was dead.  
  
Eric stood up. God he was pissed. He was pissed at the killer for picking on so many people whom he knew, so many whom he cared about. He was pissed at the Salem police department for not having a clue as to how to solve a case. He was even pissed at his father for being so headstrong, for insisting on having the wedding even though he knew about the death threat, for refusing to go to a safe house.  
  
Taking a breath, he began the run back to his apartment.  
  
************  
  
Three days later  
  
************  
  
Carrie gazed out the window as the plane began its decent. All that she could see was patches of green grass and white snow. Closing her eyes, she pictured the picturesque town of Salem. She could see the lake, the mountains in the distance, the park, Salem Place. She had missed it but not as much as she had expected to. She expected to feel a sense of coming home when the plane touched down; she didn't.  
  
Mike grabbed their carry on bags and she picked up the baby carrier. The baby was busily sucking on her pacifier. Carrie didn't believe in pacifiers but Mike had said that it was necessary to keep the baby from getting an earache on the flight.  
  
They navigated the airport easily. Both were surprised at how little they had forgotten in six years. After collecting their other bags from luggage claim, they headed toward the car rental place.  
  
"Mike, Carrie."  
  
Both turned at the sound of their names. "Uncle Mickey," Mike said in surprise.  
  
Mickey gave a small laugh. "You didn't think that we were going to let you get a rent-a-car?"  
  
"With everything going on. we didn't want to be any trouble," Carrie said softly.  
  
"You're not any trouble," Mickey assured her as he stepped closer to them.  
  
"I was so sorry to hear about Maggie," Carrie whispered as she hugged him. "We would've come but the baby."  
  
"Was too young to fly," Mickey finished for her with a smile. "I understood. We all knew that you two would have come if you could have."  
  
Not all of them, Carrie thought silently. Her sister had called her after her grandmother's funeral to chastise her for not coming. Sami had told her that they all knew that the baby was just an excuse. If they had wanted to come, they could have.  
  
"Do I get to meet the newest member of the family?"  
  
Carrie pulled herself from her reverie to smile at Mike's uncle. "Of course. You're the first member of the family, save Jeremy, to meet her." They moved over to a small waiting room that was sparsely populated and Carrie set the carrier down. "Hi, Sweetie," she whispered as she unbuckled the baby and lifted her out of the carrier.  
  
She turned to Mickey. "Uncle Mickey, meet Makala Margaret Brady-Horton."  
  
Mickey swallowed hard. When Mike had called to tell everyone about the baby, he had told them that they had named her Makala but he hadn't mentioned the Margaret. "That is a beautiful name. Maggie would be honored."  
  
Carrie nodded, swallowing back the lump in her own throat. Makala had been born the day after Maggie's death. They had already decided on a middle name but forgoing it in exchange for Margaret had just seemed like the right thing to do. They had both decided on it at the same time, looking down at their newborn baby. "Would you like to hold her?"  
  
"Sure." Mickey gently took the baby from Carrie. The wide-awake baby gazed up at him curiously through bright, clear blue eyes. Almost all babies had blue eyes but Mickey had a feeling that Makala's eye color wouldn't change. Her head was covered in soft, light blond fluff. "She's beautiful."  
  
"Thank you." Carrie laughed, "We think so too but we're a bit biased."  
  
Mike took the baby and carefully put her back in her carrier so that they could continue out to the car.  
  
Mickey started the car and pulled out of his parking space. After they got out of the parking lot, Mickey turned right.  
  
"Where are we going?" Carrie asked in confusion. The two hotels in Salem were both in the other direction.  
  
Mickey laughed. "The penthouse."  
  
"A hotel is fine."  
  
Mickey held up a hand. "John and Marlena insisted. Take up any argument with them."  
  
As Mickey drove, Mike stared out the window. Nothing much had changed in the time that they had been gone. The town seemed pretty much the same. It was comforting yet at the same time, strange.  
  
Mickey pulled up outside of the penthouse and the doorman opened the door for them. They rode up the elevator in silence. Before they could knock or ring the bell, the penthouse door was pulled open. "Carrie!" Marlena squealed as she pulled her stepdaughter into her arms.  
  
Carrie returned Marlena's hug. She hadn't missed the town as much as she had expected to but she had missed the people even more than she had expected to.  
  
Marlena pulled back. "You look wonderful."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Marlena turned to Mike, who was holding his daughter. He had set the carrier down on the floor. She took the baby from him. "Hello Makala." She spoke quietly to the baby while the others watched with amusement.  
  
John ran down the penthouse steps. "Carrie."  
  
Carrie allowed the man whom she had thought was her father for so many years to engulf her in a hug. "I've missed you all so much."  
  
"We've missed you too, Pumpkin." John caught the endearment and winced. "Carrie, I'm sorry. I wasn't."  
  
"It's okay. You've always called me that. I don't expect you to stop because of this."  
  
John shook Mike's hand.  
  
"John," Marlena said, "Come meet our first granddaughter."  
  
John glanced at Carrie and she smiled to assure him that she didn't mind Marlena's words. He accepted the baby from his wife.  
  
After a few minutes, Carrie spoke. "I was wondering."  
  
"Wondering what, Honey?" Marlena asked with a smile.  
  
"If anyone would mind if. if we christened the baby while we're here. I know that with Dad's funeral."  
  
"No one would mind at all," Marlena interrupted. "As awful as this is, we can't dwell on it. Your father wouldn't want us to."  
  
"No he wouldn't," Eric agreed from the stairs.  
  
Carrie stepped forward and hugged her little brother as soon as he was down the steps. She pulled back and smiled at him. "We were hoping that you would be Makala's Godfather."  
  
Eric hugged his sister again. "I'd be honored to. Who is her Godmother going to be?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Actually, we haven't asked her yet so we'd rather not say," Mike answered.  
  
Eric shrugged, it didn't really matter. He couldn't imagine them asking someone whom he didn't get along with.  
  
John turned to Mike, "Let's get your things from Mickey's car so that he can go."  
  
"We can stay in a hotel," Carrie told Marlena. "We don't want to inconvenience you."  
  
"Carrie, you aren't staying in a hotel. You're staying here with us. It isn't an inconvenience. With Brady and Belle neither one living here, we have plenty of room."  
  
"Arguing won't help," Eric told his sister. "I tried."  
  
Carrie shrugged, "If you're sure."  
  
"I am," Marlena said with finality. "We already got Belle's cradle out."  
  
***********  
  
That evening  
  
***********  
  
Carrie glanced up at the knock on her door. "Come in."  
  
"You've been here three hours and it looks like a baby shop in here," Eric said with a laugh.  
  
Carrie looked up long enough to mock glare at her brother. She snapped the snaps on Makala's one piece over her diaper and lifted the baby into her arms. As she turned, her eyes took the room in.  
  
The cradle had been placed a few feet from the bed. It held a pink and yellow bedding set that her grandmother had made while Marlena was pregnant with Belle.  
  
A changing pad had been laid across the top of the dresser. A stack of diapers, a tube of Destine, and a container of baby wipes sat next to it.  
  
Belle's old baby carriage stood next to the closet an extra baby blanket draped over its side. The baby carrier lay on the floor next to it.  
  
The suitcases had been emptied and stored in the walk-in closet. Makala's dress for the funeral had been hung in the closet. Her others clothing was neatly folded in the dresser drawers.  
  
A packed diaper bag hung on a hook behind the door, ready to go whenever they needed it.  
  
A couple of tine stuffed animals lay on the bed. The pacifier was on the nightstand along with a bottle.  
  
Carrie picked a baby blue one piece outfit with flowers embroidered on it up off of the bed. She laid her daughter back down on the changing pad so that she could put it on her. "It is amazing how much stuff an infant needs for even a short period of time, isn't it?"  
  
Eric, who wasn't really used to small children, just nodded. It did seem like Makala had a lot of stuff. She traveled with more stuff than her parents did.  
  
Picking her daughter up again, Carrie turned back to her brother. "What did you need?"  
  
"I'm going over to the pub. I wondered if you wanted to go?"  
  
Carrie grinned. It had been six years since she had been to the pub. Six years since she had tasted the best hot coca on earth. "I'd love to go." Mike had gone for a walk with John. Carrie had the feeling that they were probably discussing the murders but she trusted Mike to not do anything that would put him in danger.  
  
Carrie reached into the closet and took out her daughter's coat. After the baby was wearing her coat, a pair of booties, and a hat that Velcroed under her chin so that she couldn't pull it off, she handed the baby to Eric so that she could don her own coat.  
  
She took Makala back from her brother and grabbed her purse and the diaper bag. Eric picked up the baby carrier.  
  
Downstairs, Carrie left a message with Marlena for Mike when he got back. Exiting the penthouse, she and Eric made their way down to the garage where Eric's rental car was parked. John and Marlena had picked him up from the airport that morning when he arrived but after he got settled in, he got John to take him to the car place so that he could rent a vehicle since he planned on staying in Salem for over a week.  
  
After buckling her daughter's seat into the back of the car, Carrie climbed into the passenger seat next to Eric. "So how are Grandma and Grandpa Evans?"  
  
Eric pulled out of the parking garage. "They are doing well. They've given up most of the animals but insist on keeping chickens."  
  
"How about you?"  
  
"I'm doing pretty good."  
  
Carrie smiled at her bashful little brother. "Got a girlfriend?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Maybe? Come on Eric."  
  
"Okay. Yes, I do."  
  
"Serious?"  
  
"It is getting that way," he admitted.  
  
"Tell me about her," Carrie insisted good-naturedly.  
  
"She's a columnist at the paper I'm a photographer for."  
  
"What column does she write?" Carrie asked curiously.  
  
Eric grinned, "Sports."  
  
Carrie chuckled. It figured.  
  
Eric pulled into a parking space behind the pub and they both climbed out of the car. Carrie lifted her still wide-awake daughter out of her seat and the small group made their way inside.  
  
Inside the pub, Eric inhaled the familiar aroma of his grandparent's legendary clam chowder. He let his eyes sweep over the pub. It looked exactly the same. Even most of the waitresses seemed to be the same.  
  
"Eric? Carrie?" Mimi asked, walking up to them.  
  
Eric smiled, immediately recognizing Mimi as his little sister's childhood best friend. "Hey, Mimi."  
  
"I was so sorry to hear about your father," Mimi said sincerely.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Can I get you guys anything?"  
  
"We'll take a couple of mugs of hot coca," Eric told her with a smile. After Mimi had walked away, he and Carrie slipped into an empty booth.  
  
Carrie gazed around her. "Has this place changed at all since it became a pub?"  
  
Eric smiled. He couldn't remember or imagine this place as a fish market but knew that it had been one. To him it always had been and always would be the Brady Pub. It was his grandfather's way of maintaining a bit of Ireland for his family even in Salem. "I don't think so." He loved the sameness. You could count on this place to stay exactly the same no matter what happened. His family had been through countless tragedies and through it all this place was a mainstay. He hoped that that never changed.  
  
Carrie remembered all the days of her childhood that she spent here, either here in the pub itself or upstairs in the house. Her grandparents had always kept a bedroom - playroom upstairs for all of the children in the family. Sometimes it felt like they all spent more time here than at their own homes. A sharp pain went through her when she realized that her daughter would never know any of that. She'd never eat cookies at the table while telling her great-grandmother all about her day. She'd never read a story with grandma before bed. Makala was going to miss out on so much that she herself had had.  
  
"Carrie, Eric."  
  
They both looked up at the sound of their names.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Eric demanded with a snarl.  
  
Tony shrugged, "This is a public place Eric. As much as you would all like to, your family can't deny me service based on my last name." He smiled at Carrie, "Hello Carrie."  
  
"Tony."  
  
Tony gazed down at the baby in Carrie's arms. "She is a beautiful little girl. She already looks so much like you did as a little girl." His smile turned reminiscent. "I see a lot of Anna in her features."  
  
Carrie gave him a genuine smile, "Thank you." As much as her family hated this man, he had been her stepfather for several years. He had never done anything to hurt her. In fact, he had been very good with her, had treated her like she was his own child much to her father's disdain. Or was it John's disdain?  
  
"How old is she?"  
  
"Two months."  
  
Eric glared at his sister but she ignored him.  
  
"What did you and Michael name her?"  
  
"Mike and I named her Makala Margaret."  
  
"That is a lovely name."  
  
Carrie hesitated for several moments. Finally, she stood. "Would you like to hold her?"  
  
"What?!!" Eric demanded.  
  
"I'd love to," Tony responded. He was agreeing out of fondness for Carrie that spread to her child but Eric's distress over it was a bonus. He harbored no ill will toward the Brady's yet because he was a DeMira, they automatically thought the worst of him. Any time a crime was committed, he was the first suspect because of his last name. The hatred spread from one generation to the next. When people treated you like that, you were bound to form some sort of resentment toward them. Because of that resentment, he was sometimes guilty of provoking the Brady's.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
Carrie sighed as her uncle entered the building and immediately joined them. "Hi, Uncle Bo."  
  
"That is Makala?" Bo asked, gesturing to the child, still in Tony's arms.  
  
"It is," Tony agreed cheerfully. "Isn't your great-niece a lovely baby? I was just telling Carrie that Makala already takes after her as a child."  
  
"You're letting him hold your baby?" Bo asked Carrie in disbelief.  
  
"Well, I did help parent Carrie after all," Tony reminded Bo before Carrie could respond.  
  
Bo scowled. "For a few years, part time. You had no real impact on Carrie's life or personality." He reached out to take the baby but Tony shifted Makala out of Bo's reach.  
  
"I gave Tony permission to hold the baby, it's fine, Uncle Bo."  
  
"He is a DeMira Carrie, you can't trust them."  
  
Carrie didn't bother to argue. She had always been more rational than the majority of her family. She turned to Tony. "I'll take Makala now before my uncle and brother have coronaries."  
  
"It was nice to see you Carrie," Tony said after handing the baby back. With that, he turned to go.  
  
"He's scum," Bo said as he watched Tony's retreating back. "He killed your father and grandmother."  
  
Carrie's eyes widen. She hadn't heard that. "He was caught?"  
  
"He was on the premises."  
  
"Why isn't he in jail?"  
  
Bo's scowl deepened. "The Judge let him go. Not enough evidence, she said."  
  
"Were his fingerprints on the murder weapon?"  
  
"His fingerprints were on his sword."  
  
"It was the murder weapon?" Carrie pressed.  
  
"It didn't have your father's blood on it," Bo finally admitted.  
  
"Than how can you be sure that Tony did it?"  
  
"I cannot believe that you are defending him!" Bo thundered.  
  
"I can't believe that you aren't looking at all of the evidence rationally. What you have on Tony is circumstantial at best."  
  
"Is there a problem?" Shawn Sr. asked as he approached with three mugs. Mimi had alerted him to his grandchildren's presence. He laid the tray down on the table.  
  
"No," Bo said, mindful of his father's recent history of heart problems.  
  
Carrie gave her grandfather a one-armed hug. "Grandpa, I'd like for you to meet your first great-granddaughter," Carrie said as she pulled away.  
  
Shawn gazed down at the baby. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek. "A new beginning," he whispered thinking of all of the losses that they had experienced. He turned his attention to his grandson. "Eric my lad."  
  
Eric hugged his grandpa.  
  
"I've missed you both so much," Shawn said as he carefully slid into the booth. He looked up at his son. "Would you be joining us? I can have Mimi get another mug."  
  
Bo shook his head. "No, I just came to pick Zack up." With that he turned and headed toward the stairs. He could not believe that Carrie had been so friendly to Tony DeMira. He had known that it was a mistake for Roman to allow Anna to have Carrie anywhere near any DeMira. Roman should have gotten full custody immediately.  
  
"How have you been Grandpa?" Carrie asked her grandfather who was busy cooing to Makala.  
  
Shawn looked up. "I've been a well as possible in these difficult times. It is good to have the family together again, even for such a short time."  
  
"Mom said that you passed out at the reception, after Dad.." Eric trailed off. "Did you go to your doctor the next day?"  
  
Shawn waved it off. "I got a bit short of breath. Nothing to worry about."  
  
"Grandpa, you need to have a physical. After everything that has happened, you need a cardiovascular check-up," Carrie put in.  
  
"I'm fine," he insisted.  
  
Carrie realized that pushing would just agitate him. She changed the subject. "How is the pub?"  
  
Shawn sighed, apparently another member of his family was on this kick. "Hope is already insisting that I hire a manager to help me."  
  
Carrie smiled. "Good for Aunt Hope."  
  
***********  
  
Two days later  
  
***********  
  
Flipping through her closet, Sami finally pulled a long-sleeved black dress that reached past her knees out. It wasn't her favorite dress but then she wasn't going to a fun social gathering either. A depressing dress for a depressing occasion.  
  
She pulled her jogging suit off and haphazardly flung it onto the bed. After slipping the dress on, she pulled on a pair of dark nylons. She slipped her feet into a pair of black heels.  
  
Stepping out into the living room, she called, "Lucas, can you help me zip my dress?"  
  
Lucas stood from his spot on the sofa. "Sure."  
  
Sami held her hair out of the way so that Lucas could ease the zipper up her back. "Thanks," she said once he had finished.  
  
As Sami headed to the bathroom to put up her hair and do her makeup, Lucas trailed after her. "You know that Carrie is going to be at the funeral."  
  
Sami ran her brush through her hair, "I know Lucas. Why?"  
  
"I just. it is your father's funeral Sami."  
  
She shot him a glare, "You think I don't know that? I'll never forget that. How could I? My Daddy is dead."  
  
"I know and I'm sorry Sami. But he was Carrie's dad too."  
  
"You're telling me to not make trouble?"  
  
"Just, try to put your differences aside for a couple of days. She'll be leaving soon."  
  
Sami sighed. "I'll try but she has to be nice too."  
  
Lucas stopped himself from reminding Sami that most of her problems with Carrie were her own doing, not Carrie's.  
  
"Dad, I need your help."  
  
"Coming Will."  
  
*************  
  
Eric stood in front of the full-length mirror in his room. He ran his comb through his hair once more. He looked good, he thought reluctantly. He picked his bow tie up off from the stand. That was the only thing missing.  
  
He couldn't believe that this day had come. He had to say goodbye to his father, forever. They, he, had done this before but it had never been final. There had always seemed to be hope. And there always had been, his father had always miraculously come back. This time, that wasn't going to happen. This time, it was forever.  
  
Now, he wished that he had spent more time with his father. Made sure that Roman knew how much he loved him. He shouldn't have let the situation with Nicole drive him away from Salem, away from those whom he loved. Now, it was too late. He couldn't have a relationship with his father. There would be no second chance.  
  
But he could learn from this. He could make sure that everyone else knew how much he cared for them. He could spend more time with his sisters, his mother, his grandfather, and even John. If not in person, than at least over the phone.  
  
He shouldn't have left Salem n the first place but it was too late to undo it. He couldn't come back now. Not permanently. His life was now in Colorado. That was where his home was. He had a career there, a career that he loved.  
  
Stepping out of the bedroom, tie in hand, he headed down the stairs.  
  
***********  
  
Carrie gently slipped her daughter's black velvet dress over her head. The dress had flowers embroidered on the bodice. Yellow roses for remembrance. It also had a dark blue ribbon around the waist. It was her daughter's first real dress. The first time that she was dressing the baby up. God, how she wished that it was for another occasion, any other occasion.  
  
Carrie slipped black booties onto her daughter's feet. She had thought about trying to find tiny Mary Janes but hadn't wanted to put shoes on Makala this early not even for this.  
  
Mike stepped out of the bathroom and Carrie smiled. "You look handsome."  
  
Mike grinned, showing his dimples. "Thanks. Is she ready?" At Carrie's nod, he reached out. "I'll take her downstairs so that you can finish getting ready."  
  
Carrie handed the baby over, "Thanks." As Mike and the baby left the room, Carrie picked up the dress lying on the bed. She had purchased the dress when she was about five or six months pregnant with Makala because she was feeling fat and wanted to remind herself that she wouldn't always be. She loved the dress but had never gotten a chance to wear it. What a time to wear it for the first time. She hadn't imagined when she bought it that she'd wear it for anything other than a happy occasion.  
  
The dress on, she pulled on nylons and shoes before stepping into the bathroom to do her hair and makeup. She settled for leaving her hair down but pulling it away from her face with clips. She applied very light makeup.  
  
Grabbing her black clutch, she stepped out of the room. The diaper bag, carrier, and stroller were already downstairs.  
  
A funeral wasn't really something that you wanted to take an infant to but she didn't feel that she had a choice. The few people in Salem whom she would trust her baby with were going to be at the funeral.  
  
She carefully walked down the stairs in her heels. Mike was sitting on the living room sofa with Eric. Makala lay in her uncle's arms.  
  
Carrie smiled as she noticed the bow tie on the table. "Still have trouble tying bow ties little brother?"  
  
Eric looked up, a rueful smile on his face. "Every time I think I've got it, it turns out lopsided."  
  
Carrie chuckled, "Stand up."  
  
Eric handed Makala to Mike and stood.  
  
Carrie picked the bow tie up and helped her brother put it on. "Turn around." Eric did as she told him. "Is it straight Mike?"  
  
Mike looked up from talking to his daughter. "It looks good."  
  
"Thanks Carrie," Eric kissed his sister's cheek.  
  
"Everyone is ready?" Marlena asked as she and John came down the stairs, hand in hand.  
  
"As we'll ever be," Eric agreed quietly. They'd never be completely ready to let go of their father. To bury him. But that couldn't be helped.  
  
************  
  
"Oh God, why did it have to be this way?" Kate whispered as she trailed her hand over Roman's flag covered casket. "Why did you let us be together just to be ripped apart like this?" Moving to the center of the casket, she tenderly gazed down at Roman's picture. "I love you so much," she whispered to the photo.  
  
"Talking to yourself Kate?"  
  
Kate spun around. "Sami." 'Remember your promise to Roman', she reminded herself. "How are you doing Sami?"  
  
"Like you care," Sami scoffed.  
  
"I do," Kate said sincerely. "After the wedding, your father asked me to try. To try to have a relationship with you. To get along with you. To put our differences aside. You meant the world to him Sami. You, Carrie, and Eric meant more to him than life itself. How could I not agree?" She swallowed. "As much as we both dislike it Sami, I am going to keep that promise."  
  
"You want to be friends?" Sami asked in disbelief, her eyes wide.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Lucas asked cautiously as he joined them.  
  
"Everything is fine," Kate answered, her eyes still on Sami. "I want for us to get along. As your father said, we have something to build on; our mutual love for Will. Will love us all. Wouldn't you like for him to be apart of a family that gets along? Don't you think that he deserves to finally have that?"  
  
Sami stared at her. Kate had never treated her like this; she had always been cruel and vindictive. Now Kate was extending an olive branch but should she accept it? Could it be a trick? Every time that something like this happened, every time that someone reached out to her she wanted to believe that it was for real. But it always backfired. She'd end up with a knife in her back, figuratively speaking. Could she risk it again?  
  
"Excuse me. Mrs. Brady?"  
  
All three cringed. Kate because of the bittersweet pain that went along with the name. Sami at the reminder that her father had married Kate. Lucas at his mother and Sami's expressions.  
  
"Yes?" Kate said quietly, turning toward the man.  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that Commander Brady's brother is going to be presenting the flag to the next of kin." He glanced between Sami and Kate unsure of the reactions that his next words were going to receive. He had been privy to Samantha's fits on more than one occasion and it was not a fun situation to be in. "Normally, that would be you, as his widow but some choose to have the flag presented to the children."  
  
Kate didn't have to think about it. "Give it to his children." She had no idea how they would handle having the flag. There were three, no four she corrected herself, of them and only one flag.  
  
Sami blinked in shock. 'Give it to his children' Kate had said. "I." She swallowed, "Thank you." She turned and briskly walked away, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Kate laid a hand on her son's shoulder. Lucas looked torn between staying with her or going after Sami. "Go," she instructed.  
  
***********  
  
Carrie walked along the path toward the church, her husband's arm linked with hers and her daughter nestled in her arms. Eric walked ahead of them, lost in thought. John and Marlena were directly behind them.  
  
As they came into site of the building, Carrie saw her sister run out. Lucas was right behind Sami. A hand on her should, Lucas turned Sami around. He said something, what, Carrie couldn't hear, and Sami fell into his arms, sobs racking her body.  
  
The five of them walked right past Sami and Lucas on their way into the building but neither seemed to notice them. John and Marlena seemed more amused than surprised, Carrie noticed.  
  
Inside the foyer, they stopped so that their eyes could adjust to the dimmer light. Eric's eyes swept the room. He took in his Grandfather and Aunt Kimberly standing of the side of the room, talking quietly. Will and Abby stood together, apparently comforting each other. It was sad that they had both been so affected by death at such a young age.  
  
"Eric," Belle cried in delight as she ran across the room and flung herself into her brother's arms. Shawn followed his girlfriend at a much more sedate pace.  
  
"Hey Kid," Eric replied.  
  
Extracting herself from Eric's embrace, Belle turned to Carrie. "It has been so long," she said as she hugged the older woman.  
  
Despite the somberness of the occasion, Carrie couldn't help but smile at Belle. Even as a little girl, Belle was exuberant. She was always happy and could find something good in almost every situation.  
  
The door behind them opened and Mimi stepped in, followed by a young man about a year or two older than Mimi, Belle, and Shawn. He wasn't classically good-looking but in a rugged, almost dangerous way, he was sexy. He looked almost haunted. Carrie instantly wondered who he was.  
  
"Meems," Belle called out.  
  
Mimi and Rex joined Belle and the others.  
  
"Carrie, Eric, Mike, this is Rex. Rex, meet your older brother and sister, Eric and Carrie. Mike is Carrie's husband."  
  
So this was Rex, Eric thought. He had gotten a call from a very distraught Sami on the day before Thanksgiving. She had just announced to the family that Rex and Cassie did not belong to Marlena and Tony; they belonged to Roman and Kate. She had gone on and on about how awful both twins were.  
  
The first time that he had heard about the twins had been much different, his mother had called him after finding out that the twins were 'hers'. She had told him all about them, extolling their virtues. He had to wonder which one of them was right about Rex. He had a feeling that the truth was probably somewhere between the two explanations.  
  
Carrie studied the young man. So, he was her brother? Yes, he fit what she had heard about Rex. With his childhood, why wouldn't his eyes look haunted? She kind of felt sorry for him. Without being told so, she knew that when they thought that he was a DeMira, her family wasn't accepting of Rex. Yet, now the only father that he had ever known wasn't really his father and he was a Brady. That must be very tuff on him. He was going to have to reinvent himself, re-find himself, yet again.  
  
Rex took in the people standing before him. The woman, his sister, Carrie, stood between the two men. They both stood very close to her, protectively. By the way that the three of them were looking at him, he could tell that they were sizing him up much as he was them. Carrie's long-blond hair reached past her bottom and was secured with a clip. Unlike Sami's hair, Carrie's had natural red highlights. In her arms, Carrie lovingly cradled an infant bundled in a light yellow blanket. Carrie was gazing at him sympathetically.  
  
His attention moved to the man that Belle had referred to as Mike. He too, seemed to pose no threat. His deep blue eyes reflected kindness, intelligence, and strength. Just looking at Mike, he could tell that Carrie and the baby were his life.  
  
Eric was harder to figure out. He didn't seem to have reached any sort of conclusion about Rex. He seemed torn about what to think. He didn't seem trusting or easily accepting. His eyes were hooded and weary.  
  
Realizing that no one else seemed inclined to break the uncomfortable silence that hung over them all, Carrie smiled hesitantly at Rex. "It's nice to meet you Rex."  
  
Rex accepted the proffered hand, noting that it was soft yet strong. "Nice to meet you as well." Figuring that if Carrie was like most mothers he knew one way to get her smile to broaden, he leaned forward. Eric and Mike both tensed but Rex ignored them. He gazed down at the infant in its mother's arms. He could barely see the dress that the baby was wearing. "She's beautiful. What is her name?"  
  
"Makala Margaret."  
  
"After her father and Maggie Horton?" he guessed, hoping that he was correct.  
  
"Right," Carrie agreed with a smile.  
  
"Is she your only child?"  
  
"She's is our first together but Mike has a twelve-year-old son, Jeremy, whom we share custody of."  
  
Rex turned to Eric but before he could speak Sami and Lucas stepped into the church. "So, you've met our darling younger brother, I see," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Sami," Lucas chided softly.  
  
Eric pulled his twin into a hug, ignoring her minor outburst and hoping that the others would as well.  
  
"Sami," Mike greeted after she and Eric had parted.  
  
"Mike," Sami replied grudgingly. She turned, "Carrie. It was nice of you both to come home for the funeral this time."  
  
"Of course we came," Carrie said. "And you know why we didn't come to the other funerals."  
  
Lucas nudged her and Sami gave a small sigh. "I know. But couldn't you have left the baby at home and come?"  
  
"Would you have left Will when he was just a few days old to travel to another country?" Carrie countered.  
  
"No," Sami admitted. She turned slightly and Lucas smiled encouragingly. Like he had told her outside, it was time. She stepped a little closer. "May I see her?"  
  
Carrie didn't pretend that she didn't understand what her sister was talking about but she wanted to. With everything that Sami had done in the past, did she really want to let her hold Makala? She looked up at her husband and Mike silently told her that it was her decision.  
  
For a moment, Sami thought that her sister was going to deny her request. She really couldn't blame Carrie after everything that she had done a few years before. But then, Carrie took a step closer and extended her arms just enough to transfer the baby to Sami.  
  
Even after everything that Sami had done, Carrie loved her little sister. She wanted a relationship with Sami, she always had. If Sami was extending an olive branch, she couldn't refuse it.  
  
As she looked down at the baby in her arms, Sami smiled. "I remember when Will was this small. Barely."  
  
Lucas gazed down at Makala in surprise. "Will was that small?"  
  
Mike chuckled, glad that the ice seemed to be broken. He was very grateful that things were going so smoothly. He had been afraid that there would be problems between Sami and Carrie. "Hard to believe isn't it?" he asked his brother. "When Makala was first born, I couldn't believe that Jeremy was ever that size but I checked his baby book; he was."  
  
"They grow so fast don't they?" Marlena said wistfully. She shifted her gaze between each of her three children and her honorary daughter. She could see Carrie as a bedraggled and frightened small child hovering on her and Roman's doorstep not long after their marriage. From that moment, Roman's little girl had been her little girl. She could picture a seven- year-old Carrie cautiously stepping into her hospital room clinging to Caroline's hand in order to meet the newborn twins. Sami and Eric had been so tiny yet before she knew it, they were starting kindergarten and then high school. Finally, she pictured her baby, Belle. She could almost feel Belle being laid in her arms by John and Kristen after her kidnapping. She could see a pre-school aged Belle playing in a sandbox with Mimi, Shawn, and Brady. She imagined her little Belle marrying Shawn sometime in the future.  
  
At the reminder of his family's history, Rex held back a scowl of jealousy. He didn't want to be jealous of his brothers and sisters but couldn't completely stop himself. They had all had childhoods, parents, siblings, friends, and pasts. He knew that they all had unhappy things in their pasts, their lives hadn't been the Brady Bunch but still they had had a childhood. He hadn't. What he wouldn't give to have had what Sami had or even what Billie and Austin had had.  
  
"Uh oh," John said with a laugh.  
  
"She's remembering us all as children isn't she?" Belle chuckled.  
  
"Yes, I am. You are all so grown up now." She smiled at her two older daughters. "Savor it while it lasts. All too soon they will be grown and you'll wonder how it happened so fast."  
  
Jennifer peeked out from the sanctuary. "They are ready to start."  
  
They all quietly made their way into the room where everyone was getting seated. Shawn SR., Kimberly, Kate, Bo, and Hope all sat in the first pew on the left side of the room.  
  
Will occupied the front pew on the right. Sami, Lucas, Carrie, Mike, Eric, and Rex all joined him. Rex was hesitant but Carrie gave him an encouraging smile, silently telling him that it was alright.  
  
Mimi, Shawn, Belle, John, and Marlena slid into the empty pew behind Roman's children, their spouses, and their children.  
  
The rest of the extended family and friends were interspersed throughout the room.  
  
After the Priest had spoken Bo took a deep breath and stood. Kate had asked him to do a eulogy. She said that she just wasn't up to it. She had offered the opportunity to Roman's children but none of them had felt that they could speak about their father like that without losing their composure.  
  
Bo reached the microphone and gazed out at the room. Nearly everyone had tears in their eyes already.  
  
Will was leaning against his mother who was running her hand through her son's hair comfortingly. Sami's head rested on Lucas's shoulder and his arm was around her shoulder, resting on his son's arm.  
  
Mike held Makala in his arms, the baby seemed to be sleeping. Carrie was sitting as close to her husband as she could and his arm, which was wrapped around her, held her tight against him. Eric, who sat on Carrie's other side had his eyes closed.  
  
Alice, who sat behind his father, had her hand resting on Shawn's shoulder in a comforting gesture. The elderly man's face was drawn and haggard. Bo was very worried about his dad. He doubted that Shawn had been sleeping well and he knew that Shawn wasn't eating well. If Shawn didn't take better care of himself, he'd have another heart attack.  
  
After clearing his throat, Bo began with a story from his and Roman's childhood. He told about how perfect Roman had always been, how hard to live up to he was. Out in the pews, several people smiled reminiscently. A few could remember Roman as a young boy; the rest had known the man that that boy had become. Roman had aged but he had stayed the same inside. He spoke of his own rebellion and received chuckles from a few people including his father.  
  
Bo looked down at Roman's children. Sami and Carrie were now openly sobbing. Tears dripped down from Eric's eyes but he was still holding firm to what remained of his composure. Rex seemed vaguely uncomfortable. Sitting behind her children, Marlena seemed torn, like all that she wanted to do was erase their pain but she couldn't.  
  
"As Roman grew older he retained his sense of perfection but it dimmed. It wasn't his whole life. His children were his life. They were his reason for living, his reason for being the best cop, the best man, that he could be." He looked down at them all again meeting each of their eyes briefly. "Roman loved you all so much. He was proud of each of you. All four of you were special to him." He saw Rex swallow hard at the inclusion. He finished with tears in his own eyes. As he walked back to his seat, he cast a small smile over at Carrie, Eric, Sami, and Rex. None of the four were able to return it.  
  
As Bo sat down next to her, Hope squeezed his hand and gave him a tiny smile to let him know that he had done well. He had captured Roman with his words.  
  
Kate stood to speak next, tears streaming down her face. She spoke of her love for Roman, of her regret that they only had a few months together, a few hours as man and wife. She finished in a choked voice.  
  
As his mother stepped down, Philip stood and pulled her into his arms, letting hr sob against him. He gently guided her back to her seat and sat down next to her.  
  
The Priest instructed the congregation to stand and they sang Amazing Grace. Once the song was finished, he said a prayer.  
  
The service finished, everyone slowly stood. They still had the graveside service to get through.  
  
"Carrie?" Mike said softly, brushing a lock of hair out of his wife's tearstained face.  
  
"He's really gone Mike," Carrie whispered hoarsley.  
  
"I know Honey. I know."  
  
Carrie leaned against her husband. This hurt more than anything that she had ever experienced.  
  
As Jennifer stood, she gazed around the room. Her eyes fell on her brother and sister-in-law and she slowly walked toward them. Abby had joined Will; both children seemed more willing to comfort each other than to allow the adults to comfort them. "Carrie, Mike."  
  
Carrie lifted her head from her husband's shoulder. "Jennifer."  
  
"Would you like for me to take the baby?" Jenn asked gently. She knew that as hard as this had been, the graveside would be worse.  
  
"I."  
  
Mike wiped a tear from Carrie's cheek. "Let her," he whispered softly.  
  
Jennifer had been one of her best friends for as long as she could remember so she trusted her. But she didn't want to lose the connection, the warm feeling of holding Makala. Yet, if Jenn was holding the baby she would be free to collapse into Mike's arms and sob until her tears had dried up. Without speaking, she extended her arms.  
  
Jennifer reached out to take the baby. It was the first time that she had met little Makala.  
  
The casket was taken from the church to the plot in the cemetery behind the church. The mourners followed at a sedate pace.  
  
Kate was first, she clung to her son Philip's hand as they approached the casket. Sami and Lucas were next followed by Eric, who was helping his Grandfather. Carrie and Mike were next in the procession. An uncomfortable Rex followed his siblings though he felt that he didn't deserve this treatment; he had barely known his father and hadn't been very kind to Roman. Mimi walked with her boyfriend. Bo and Hope were next followed by Kimberly who walked with her teenage daughter. Will and Abby hesitantly walked behind his aunt. A year before both children could have said that they had never participated in a funeral procession; now, in a matter of months, they had been in six. Roman's immediate family was followed by numerous others from the community including many of the police officers who had worked with him.  
  
Sami stared at her Daddy's casket. The picture had been removed from the top as had the flag. Now just the locked casket remained without anything to soften it. Many friends and neighbors stood around her but she noticed none of them. Until now, her pain had been somewhat numbed. She had known that this time her father was gone forever but it had still seemed unreal. Seeing his casket about to be lowered into the cold, dark, earth sent the message straight to her heart.  
  
Carrie knew that the Priest was speaking. She could even see his lips moving yet she couldn't hear a word that he said. There were people clustered all around her but, somehow, they didn't register. The slight wind rustled through her hair but she didn't feel it. The man that she had counted on, no matter what happened, for the majority of her life, was gone and for now that was all that mattered.  
  
Rex glanced around him. Most of these people had known Roman far better than he had. They had had years to get to know Roman, to love him, to count on him. Yet, in some ways he was grieving as much as they were. As each of them grieved for their father, brother, son, spouse, friend, or boss he grieved for a missed opportunity. He grieved for years of his life that had been stolen, from Cassie, himself, and the Brady's. He would never know his father. Never love him and miss him as Eric, Carrie, and Sami did. Yet, he missed the fact that he wouldn't miss Roman, his father.  
  
Eric stared ahead vacantly. Everything was blurry due to the tears welling within his eyes; the tears that he was holding back. He would not cry. Not here, in public, with family, friends, and strangers alike all watching him. Through his distorted vision, he saw Kate step forward. She raised a single rose to her lips before gently laying it on the casket. As his siblings stepped forward to add their roses, he forced himself to join them.  
  
Carrie carefully laid the rose that she had been clutching to her chest throughout the graveside service, onto the top of her father's casket. "I love you Daddy," she whispered brokenly.  
  
***********  
  
As Sami slowly climbed the old steps, she could hear the gathering continuing downstairs in the pub. The pub was closed for the day but they were having the 'reception' following the funeral here. At least that was how Sami looked at it. People gathered together to eat and talk. It was almost like a party, she thought disgustedly. She had never liked these gatherings but the rest of the family didn't seem to mind doing it.  
  
They had all started to arrive from the funeral about a half-hour before and socializing was just getting to difficult for her. She had to get sometime away from the crowd or she was going to scream.  
  
She stepped into the empty private living room above the pub. Although she had planned on sitting down on the sofa, maybe curling into a ball, and crying, she continued walking. She had no idea where she was going but she couldn't stop.  
  
Walking down the long hallway, she heard muffled crying. She followed the sound to a room at the end of the hall. Pushing the door open without knocking, she spotted her sister. "Carrie?" she said quietly.  
  
Startled Carrie jumped. She turned. "Sami." She gestured vaguely. "I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to get away for a little while."  
  
If one looked deeper, she and her sister had more in common than anyone would think, Sami thought wryly. "Yeah, me too. Where is the baby?" Carrie's motherhood was new, so new that Sami was shocked that her sister had let the baby out of her site for this long. She remembered that she had been exactly like that with Will until he was perhaps four or five months old.  
  
A tiny smile passed briefly across Carrie's face as she too remembered her sister when Will was a couple of months old. Sami would barely let anyone touch the baby let alone watch him while she was out of the room. "Mike and Jenn have her."  
  
Sami glanced around her grandparent's home office. This room was where her grandparents had always done the books and other business related things for the pub. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
Carrie shrugged. "I just. I don't know. ended up in here. I was walking around up here aimlessly. When I reached this door, it just seemed right to come inside."  
  
Sami nodded in understanding. For the first time, she noticed that her sister had something clutched in her hand. "What is that?"  
  
Carrie glanced down at the piece of paper clutched in her hand. "A note. I found a stack of condolence letters and cards. They were all opened so."  
  
Sami nodded as she stepped closer. Both girls knew that though the cards and letters were technically addressed to their grandfather, he wouldn't mind if they read them.  
  
Carrie handed the card to her sister. "This one is from Uncle Shane." Even though Shane and Kimberly had been divorced for years, he would always be 'Uncle Shane' to both women.  
  
Sami looked down at the note. Shane began with how sorry he was about Roman's death. He said that Roman was one of his best friends. As she read an antidote that Shane had recounted, Sami couldn't hold back the small laugh that bubbled up.  
  
"This one is good too," Carrie said, smiling and crying at the same time.  
  
"Who is it from?"  
  
"Billie Reed." Carrie grabbed the stack of letters and went over to the old leather couch under the window.  
  
Sami followed her sister, amazed that they were getting along this well. It felt good.  
  
Several minutes later, the door opened and Eric peeked in. "I thought I heard laughing. What's up?"  
  
Sami held a letter up. "It's just all of these memories."  
  
"Memories?"  
  
"Of Dad," Carrie told him. "We're reading condolence cards and letters."  
  
"Oh." Eric stepped into the room, followed by Rex. "We came up to get a family picture that Grandpa wants Rex to have."  
  
Carrie smiled. "I'm glad."  
  
Sami jumped up.  
  
Everyone looked at Sami curiously. "What?" Eric asked.  
  
"Pictures," Sami said.  
  
Carrie's eyes widened and she too stood. As the two sisters pushed past their astonished brothers, they called, "Come on."  
  
Rex raised a questioning eyebrow.  
  
Eric just shrugged as he turned to follow.  
  
***********  
  
Mike glanced at the clock. His wife had disappeared over an hour before. Where could she have gone? Shifting the infant in his arms, Mike walked over the bar where refreshments had been laid out.  
  
John looked up from selecting a sandwich to smile at the younger man. "Where's Carrie?"  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
John raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Almost an hour and a half ago, she told me that she needed a break from everyone. I haven't seen her since."  
  
"Sami's been gone for almost that long," Lucas said as he joined them.  
  
"You don't think that." Mike began.  
  
Lucas groaned. "I hope not. But with those two."  
  
"Yeah," Mike agreed with a sigh.  
  
"We should look for them just in case." John trailed off but both men knew what he was getting at.  
  
"Hold on." Mike took the baby to Marlena who was more than happy to care for her granddaughter before rejoining Mike and Lucas.  
  
The men decided to check upstairs first. As they mounted the steps, all three were worried about what the would find when they got upstairs. They walked past the empty living room. They checked the playroom then Shawn's bedroom.  
  
"Do you hear something?" Lucas asked.  
  
"I think." Mike went to a door and swung it open. He didn't know who was more surprised, those in the room or those outside of it.  
  
"I love this one," Eric had been saying but the opening of the door stopped him. Everyone looked up, very startled.  
  
"Wow," Lucas muttered.  
  
John stared into the room. Carrie, Sami, Eric, and Rex all sat on the floor cross-legged. Boxes and books surrounded them all. The four looked. happy. Considering that Sami didn't get along with Carrie or Rex, and their father had been buried hours before, that was shocking.  
  
Eric gestured around them. "We all just kind of ended up doing this."  
  
"This?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Were going through old family pictures and albums," Sami explained.  
  
Carrie met her husband's eyes. "We're sharing memories with Rex."  
  
"You and Sami had been gone for an hour and a half so we got worried," Mike told her.  
  
"You thought that you'd find Carrie and I somewhere, tearing each others hair out," Sami accused.  
  
"The thought did cross my mind," John admitted.  
  
"You have to admit, you two don't have the best history," Lucas added.  
  
"Where's Makala?"  
  
Mike laughed," Relax. Marlena has her, she's fine."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"We'll be down in a little while," Eric said as he turned back to a photo- file filled with pictures that had never made it into an album.  
  
"No hurry," John assured them as he shut the door.  
  
"Wow," Lucas said again as they headed back toward the living room. "I didn't expect that."  
  
Mike shook his head. "I don't think that anyone did."  
  
"It's about time," John stated.  
  
"Yeah," Lucas and Mike readily agreed. With everything that had been happening, the siblings needed each other. Especially if the next death was another member of the family.  
  
***********  
  
A week later Carrie stepped onto the plane home. Israel was home now, but Salem would always have a special spot in her heart. Besides Makala, Mike, and Jeremy the most important people to her lived in Salem, with the exclusion of Eric who lived in Colorado.  
  
This time, she knew when she'd be coming back. Alice's ninetieth birthday was six months away. Jenn and Hope were already planning a very large party \ reunion that Mike and Carrie had promised to come back for. Carrie fervently hoped that nothing happened in the next few months that forced them to come back before then.  
  
Two good things had come out of this trip, as sad as saying goodbye to her father had been. She was closer to all of her siblings. She had the feeling that their bond would get closer and stronger in the years to come.  
  
The second good thing was Makala's christening. They got some very good pictures of the whole family together. The only thing that would have made it better would be if Jeremy had been able to be there. Carrie made a mental note to remember to send copies to everyone who had requested them. Marlena wanted a set, as did Alice, and Shawn. Sami wanted several, as did Eric and Rex. She also needed to send some photos to Makala's Godmother, Jennifer.  
  
As the plane took off, Carrie said one final goodbye to her father.  
  
*************  
  
Finished  
  
Author's note: That was a lot longer than I had originally planned but once I got started, I just couldn't seem to stop. Let me know what you thought, good or bad. 


End file.
